Lemon Cake

So. Lemon cake. Yay.

Sorry to be so ‘meh’ about it, I’ve meant to blog about this for days but it’s been an interesting week. Thunderstorms knocking out our power all day/half the night, cleaning furiously, working desperately to get Peter’s room in some sort of order, working on a seemingly never-ending list of errands that all seem to appear out of nowhere and need immediate assistance… And we had the Pancake Incident of 2010.

Let me backtrack a little bit. See, nowadays when I do any baking or cooking in the kitchen, I have a midget-sized dictator who demands that he be right in the middle of the action, who screams and carries on to such a degree that I have decided that I will not fight it any longer, let the darn kid participate. So every time I make anything in the kitchen, I prep the counter first with a small bowl, some measuring cups and spoons, and something innocent to dip/”measure”/pour – water, some flour maybe, some fruit or veggies. You get the idea, keep him close so he can watch and follow along on his own, like a cooking show. This all works perfectly about 99% of the time.

Tuesday was not one of those times.





Tuesday I was tired when we got home from work/daycare, I didn’t have any meat thawed out for dinner, and there was a container of chopped strawberries in the fridge that probably needed to be eaten within a day. Perfect evening for pancakes for dinner, yes? So I gathered all the necessary ingredients, keeping all the dry stuff on Peter’s side for playing – flour, salt, baking soda. I whipped up the wet ingredients, then pulled over Peter’s stool so he could help. He rushed right over and got to work. This should be fairly easy.

I carefully measure my flour, my salt. Before I can do anything else, Peter casually leans over and dumps, oh – probably a ¼-cup of baking soda in my bowl. Er. Great. I fished out as much as I could, but the batter was super-salty. Ew. In an attempt to salvage the batter, I get busy doubling all the other ingredients, grabbed some Greek yogurt out of the fridge to counteract the fizzy salty madness, and then I heard it. That distinctive noise you recognize all too well when you have a toddler: Peter is choking. He is choking on… baking soda. So I reach over to grab him so I can whap him on the back – my signature choking-toddler move – and in that split second, I see that he’s clutching my favorite mixing bowl, the one I set out for him for playing. Muzzy got it for me, it’s a sunny yellow hue with a delicate pattern stamped into the clay, and has a little handle and a spout. My batter bowl. So anyway: as I snatch him that bowl goes sailing through the air, smashing to the floor and shattering into a million smithereens. My mouth agape. Good bye, my beloved batter bowl.

But back to the choking baby! So I drag him to the garbage can, whack him on the back and (begrudgingly) get him to drink water and whew, then I check the baking soda box – yeah, he ate a decent amount. Maybe a third of the box? I couldn’t remember how full it was to begin with, and there’s quite a bit dusting the floor as well, but still. GROSS.

I shoo him out of the room, then sweep up the clay shards and powder. Twice. Then I mop. Then dump the pancake batter down the garbage disposal, because there’s no saving it. Hopefully we have enough leftovers for us to eat for dinner. And hey, but the kid sure is making a funny noise...





I got suspicious about the baking soda, so decided to google it. And hey whaddaya know – baking soda can be fatal to small children. It messes up their electrolyte levels, causing vomiting and seizures and ultimately organ failure... So then I had the pleasure of a nice long chat with a lovely woman at poison control. He farted and burped his way through the night, and I had to keep checking to make sure he didn’t bust out into seizures. IT WAS AS FUN AS IT SOUNDS. I told daycare all about it the next day, just to warn her in case his back-end starts erupting like a grade-school volcano diorama.

I will be shocked if this kid lives to see his 2nd birthday, I swear.

But anyway! All that talk, let me get to the point: my son, he helps out in the kitchen a lot. It’s messy but fun and I might overlook an instruction or two while I keep Doots from seriously maiming himself with a whisk. And so, even though I have made this cake a million times (and always to many thanks for bringing the FANTASTIC LEMON CAKE OMG), I missed the important notation to make sure you bake it in something you can line with parchment. I tried to make this cake in a bundt pan this time. It, uh – didn’t quite come out of the pan as I had hoped. Great fluffy mounds of cake kind of plopped out when I flipped it onto a cooling rack, but no matter. I still lovingly poured warm lemon syrup on them and then iced them when cooled. And ate them for breakfast, as a snack, and dessert. This cake, it is ahhh-mazing. Ina Garten has never let me down, this is true, but this is in all truth my most favorite recipe of hers.

Try it. I would recommend using a pan you can line with parchment, though. The results will be much prettier.

Ina Garten's Lemon Cake

(from Barefoot Contessa Parties!)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. unsalted butter
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
4 extra-large eggs (at room temperature)
1/3 c. grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 c. buttermilk at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c. confectioners' sugar
3 1/2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice


Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 -inch loaf pans. Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves and makes a syrup. When the cakes are done, let them cool for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a rack set over a tray, and spoon the lemon syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the top of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Korova Cookies

I've been meaning to make these for awhile, and on Saturday I had free time so just went for it. They have been floating around on the Internet for awhile (also under the name "World Peace Cookies", as they are named in Dorie's Baking book). They've gotten so many accolades that really, how could I not give them a shot.

The recipe is basically for a sable cookie, but a very chocolatey one - this recipe calls for not only cocoa powder, but bits of bittersweet chocolate as well. Can't go wrong with chocolate in any cookie, and I decided that even if they didn't turn out too well for me - you can't beat a baked good with chocolate in it, I mean someone in this house will certainly eat it.

Well, I am happy to report that they did, indeed, turn out well (thanks to the easy-to-understand recipe, something Dorie is known for in the baking world). And I am going to put it out there and just say it: I think this is one of my favorite cookies I've ever made. Like a sable cookie, they are crumbly yet soft-ish, and buttery, with a sandy texture in your mouth. But unlike your normal sable, these have a deep chocolate flavor (almost like a brownie), with a great salty kick to boot, taking them up a notch.

Now, when I had my food blog I used to blog about recipes that had potential, that could use a little tweaking, in short - not always the best recipe I've ever tried. But on this blog I'm only going for the good stuff, so as always - I highly suggest you give this one a try :)

Korova Cookies
(From Paris Sweets by Dorie Greenspan)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 stick + 3 Tbsp. (11 Tbsp. total) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 c. (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. fleur de sel (or 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chip (or 3/4 c. store-bought mini chocolate chips)

Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Turn off the mixer. Pour in the flour, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours.

Getting ready to bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2-inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about one inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Lime Meltaways

When I was pregnant with Peter I loved lime desserts. I mean, I really really really loved them. Could not get enough of them. The more tart, the better. My husband has always had a Thing for the tart as well, so when it comes to Peter’s palate - it was no surprise to us that he will happily nosh on lemons and limes when they are offered to him. Not even so much as a scrunchy face, y’all. This boy loves his tart fruits.

Anyway, I find myself cooking and baking a lot more with limes these days, and especially now with summer approaching. There are usually at least 3-4 limes in our fridge at all times (erm, this might also have to do with the fact that we sometimes imbibe in a nice Gin and Tonic in the summer. But anyway!). I needed a dessert to bring for book club this week, but didn’t feel like running out to the grocery store for supplies, so when I opened the fridge and my eyes landed on the limes, I decided that was the route I was going. My Cookie book had a great recipe for meltaways I had wanted to try for awhile now.

This is my first time making meltaways. These are sharp, almost bitter cookies that would probably edge into the “savory” category as far as taste, if it weren’t for that thick coating of sweet, powdery sugar. Quite good, like a very lime-flavored buttery shortbread. Peter would have loved them, but I didn’t have the guts to deal with the crumbly, powdery, sticky mess that would ensue. He had to just make do with the rinds/pulp after I got done using the limes for my cookies.

Needless to say he was not really disappointed.

Lime Meltaways
(from the Martha Stewart Cookie book)

Ingredients:
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. confectioners' sugar, divided
Zest of 2 limes
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. coarse salt

Put butter and 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Add lime zest and juice and vanilla, and mix until fluffy.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add to butter mixture, and mix on low speed until just combined.

Divide dough in half. Place each half on an 8-by-12-inch sheet of parchment paper. Roll in parchment to form a log 1 1/4 inches in diameter, pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow log. Refrigerate logs until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove parchment from logs; cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Space rounds 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until barely golden, about 13 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. While still warm, toss cookies with remaining 2/3 cup sugar in a resealable plastic bag. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 weeks.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

This is a great recipe so I thought I would share. Even in the summer, with a hot kitchen and the several steps it takes to make, I think I would make this. It's sweet thanks to the squash, gets a slightly nutty flavor from the cheese, and is nice and salty-smoky from the bacon. Deee-lish.

Scott and I love it, and Peter loves it too - we started him on this dish when he was still small and eating purees, and he even loved it then. A great dish all around.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta
(from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:
3/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 c. (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 c. thinly sliced shallots
12 oz. uncooked mini penne (or other small-shaped pasta)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. 2% reduced-fat milk
1.5 c. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
*FYI - you'll notice chicken in there too; if we want more protein I just toss in a few cups of cooked chicken.


Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine 1/4 tsp. salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425 F for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450 F.

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Combine flour and 1/2 tsp. salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 c. Parm, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pioneer-style

It's time for me to make a confession. We've all heard of the Pioneer Woman. She of the Famous Website. I love the way she writes. Her photos are breathtakingly beautiful. She has a Recipes section full to the brim, a cookbook out, and a movie deal for the rights to her adorable tale of how she fell in love with her husband. I think she is just cute as a button, and love wandering over to her site regularly to take everything in.



That being said.

I have been less than impressed with her recipes. There, I've said it. Everyone I know raves about her hot crash potatoes and, while good, they aren't mind-blowingly awesome (nor are they very original, sorry). I didn't want to give up on her that quickly, so I tried a muffin recipe once. Also a bit on the generic side, kind of a downer. But I love her! I figured it had to just be me and my weird random choices.

So I tried one of her casseroles, one of many new recipes I made and froze while pregnant (my nesting was not cleaning, nor hoarding, but instead baking and cooking; our large deep freezer and kitchen freezer were both stuffed full of frozen delights of every kind). That casserole, while it smelled fantastic in the oven, was bland and a little mushy and made me want to cry. I wanted to love her recipes, darn it. But at that point, I decided maybe I needed a break from the Pioneer Woman.



We got a late-season snowstorm in these parts, the Pioneer Woman got a taste of it as well. As is now our family tradition, Snow Days = Chocolate Chip Cookies, and I try a different recipe every time. Hence the 50 different chocolate-chip cookie variations posted on this darn blog...

Anyway, I decided to give The Lady one more try. I hadn't given any of her baked goods a shot yet, maybe that's where she really shines.

Well, you will be happy to hear that indeed: her chocolate chip cookie recipe is very, very good. She highlights the chocolate in 2 ways: a bit of instant coffee granules in the dough to make that chocolate flavor nice and deep, and a liberal amount of salt to make it sing. Perfect: these cookies are crispy and chewy and chocolate to the core, even though they don't have a massive amount of chocolate in them. YUM.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
(ever so slightly modified from The Pioneer Baker)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. (heaping) instant coffee granules
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a bowl, stir together butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir together.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, instant coffee, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients in batches, stirring gently after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop balls of dough on a cookie sheet and bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and eat warm.

Mmm, Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies

Another Snow Day last week - I busted butt to get deadlines done early so I could take some time on Friday to clean the (never-ending messy) house, and whattayaknow -the child was sick. So we were home anyway. Turns out we got lots of pretty snow as well, so that only means one thing in these parts: cookies. They are a Snow Day Tradition. This time, we went with the New York Times Dessert Cookbook for cookie inspiration.



We settled on the chocolate chip cookies; they are a standard and I had all the ingredients on hand. Also: I had these amazing chocolate bars given by dear Anne, a Trader Joes Chocolate Palette of heaven. I sacrificed a few bars to make these treats, as the recipe recommended the chocolate be 70% or higher.

This is a Serious Cookie - thick, hefty, and rich rich rich. I love me some chocolate chip cookies, and I had to stop at one (okay, two). Make sure you have a tall cold glass of milk handy to wash them down.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from the New York Times Dessert Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 lb. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease several baking sheets or line with parchment paper. In bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars for 4 minutes, scraping down sides after 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Add vanilla extract and beat for one minute. Scrape sides of bowl and beat for another minute.

Add flour, salt and baking soda to bowl and beat until combined, about 1 minute, scraping bowl once. Add chocolate and mix until combined.

Drop scant 1/4-cup amounts of cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

In Pursuit of the Perfect Sugar Cookie.

Okay, I know I've said I've found the Perfect Sugar Cookie once before, but in all honesty while those cookies (1) tasted amazing and (2) kept their shape like a dream, they were still hard. And crunchy. In truth, I like soft and chewy but yummy and still look like the original cookie cutter shape. And now the need to find such a perfect sugar cookie is upon me - I have plans for these babies in the near future, so it's important!

I planned on trying this recipe just to get started in my pursuit, but it turned out that my search ends here. It's all I list above, seriously. Yummy in our tummies; in fact, I halved the test recipe and that's a good thing. Because between the three of us, we ate them all before I could even get a finished cookie picture.

Thank goodness for the Baked Cookbook! And thanks to Kris for gifting it to me :)

Sugar Cookies
(from Baked)

Ingredients:
For the Cookies:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbsp. cold vegetable shortening
2/3 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Icing:
2 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 large egg whites
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Make the Classic Sugar Cookies:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the chilled dough, and put it directly on the work surface. Roll the dough to 1/4" thick. Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut shapes in the dough, and transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until they are set but not browned. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Make the Basic Royal Icing:
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, egg whites, and lemon juice until the mixture is completely smooth. The mixture should have the texture of a glaze. If the mixture is too thin, add a bit more sugar. If the mixture is too thick, add a few drops of lemon juice. You can add a few drops of food coloring if desired, or you can divide the icing among many mixing bowls if you need more than one color.

The best way to ice sugar cookies is with a pastry bag fitted with a small or medium tip. First, outline the cookie or design, then fill it in. Let the icing harden before serving.
The cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Who Knew? It Really Does Work...

I always used to hear how apple pie was best served with cheese, and yeah, you know what? I'll just take peoples' word for it. I'm not a big apple pie kind of girl anyway, and the thought of pairing it with cheddar just seemed absurd. And this coming from the chick who will give pretty much anything a shot.

However if there is one person I trust, it's Dorie Greenspan, so when I saw her apple scone recipe was a cheddar-and-apple combo, I figured I'd give it a shot. Besides, they're scones - if I don't like 'em, I can give them away ;)

Well, as it turns out - everybody is right. Cheddar and apples really do pair up amazingly well together. I love this scone recipe in and of itself, by the way: using not only apple juice but dried apple is a brilliant move, it really lets the apple sing and there isn't too much moisture or mushy bits, it retains that perfectly dense-yet-delicate scone texture. The cornmeal adds a yummy, crunchy layer of flavor, too. Sooooo yummy.

PS - the recipe says to use cold cold cold cubed butter. I have found better results with scones by freezing the butter, then grating with a cheese grater (then popping back in the freezer until needed, at least 10 minutes).

Apple Cheddar Scones
(from The Dorie Bible)

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 c. cold buttermilk
1/4 c. cold apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick (8 Tbsp.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. finely diced dried apples

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Stir the egg, buttermilk and apple cider together

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between – and that’s just right.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be very wet and sticky, comes together. If there are still some dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, stir them in, but try not to overdo the mixing. Stir in the grated cheese and dried apple.

Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Then, because the dough is very sticky, the easiest thing to do is to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, pat it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and, using a dough scraper or a chef’s knife, cut it into 12 roughly equal pieces; place on the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can just spoon out 12 equal mounds onto the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the baking sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don’t defrost before baking – just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firm-ish. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temperature.

Steel Cut Oats with Candied Bacon

Scott and I have decided to eat healthier for the New Year, that means no more lazy weekend breakfasts cooking up greasy eggs and fried potatoes with buttery toast. We probably should ingest more multi-grains and egg whites and I don't know, maybe work a veggie or fruit in there. Yeah, sounds exciting right? Who wants Blah for breakfast, though?


Enter: steel cut oats. Breakfast oats of all kinds, in general, are super-good for the body: they contain cardiovascular antioxidants, they lower cholesterol levels, and inhance your immune system. Also help to stabilize blood sugar, for those diabetics out there.

I prefer steel cut oats over rolled oatmeal, though - they are chewy, which probably sounds kinda gross but actually is really awesome. The oats "pop" in your mouth and once you try the stuff, you will not be too terribly impressed with Quaker oatmeal any longer (which, by the way, is steel cut oats that have been cooked, rolled flat, cooked again, then rolled even flatter. Buh-bye, texture).


Now, to ease us into this new healthy-mornings lifestyle, I must admit I added some candied bacon. Er, not the healthiest. But! You can stir in all sorts of good-for-you stuff into your oats instead, like fruits or Truvia or heck, leave it plain. It's yummy plain too. And even Peter likes steel cut oats, which makes breakfast-time about as easy as can be.



Steel Cut Oats with Candied Bacon
(from Matthew Amster-Burton's Hungry Monkey)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. milk (I use 2%)
3 c. water
1 c. steel cut oats (check the bulk section of your market to get it on the cheap)
1/4 tsp. salt
8 slices thick-cut bacon
1/2 c. brown sugar


Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Combine the butter, milk, and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the oats, reduce heat to low, and simmer UNCOVERED for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the candied bacon. Take a baking sheet and completely wrap it in aluminum foil. Put the bacon on the foil and sprinkle with half of the brown sugar (1/4 c.). Slide the bacon into the preheated oven and bake for about 8 minutes. Then flip the bacon strips, sprinkle with remaining brown sugar, and bake for about 8 more minutes - you want it to be firm and nicely lacquered. Cool until set, then cut into pieces.

Once the oats have simmered for 20 minutes, add the salt and give it a stir. Allow oats to continue simmering for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes, to set up a little more.

Serve oats in a bowl sprinkled with brown sugar and topped with a generous portion of candied bacon.



And PS - thanks to Julie for suggesting the book that provided this little gem of a recipe. :)

Things I Love Thursday: Cookies

I think Christmas Eve is appropriate to highlight Holiday Baking, weeeee! Merry Christmas everyone, have a safe and happy holidays. See you when we return.


Let the cookie parade begin...

Ambrosia Macaroons - I made these for the first time last year but I truly think they are going to be on regular rotation. They are easy, pretty, and I love the flavors: like eating a Mounds bar with a hint of orange. YUM.



Buttery Jam Cookies - also something I made for the first time last year, these pretty little things come from Dorie’s Bible. They don’t sound especially delicious when reading the recipe, and there isn’t a picture in the cookbook to go with the recipe, so they can be easily overlooked. But oh! I love them so much. They are slightly sticky/crisp on the outside and soft in the center, and the hint of ginger works so well with the jam.

Molasses - my all-time favorite, hands down. I like the recipe I have because they are spicy and crispy but also chewy. I roll mine in turbano sugar for some extra crunch.

Chocolate Mint Brownie - these are like poofy, soft Girl Scout Thin Mints. Only much easier on the pocketbook.

Peanut Butter “Blossoms” - who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate, right? This is my mommy’s recipe and they are the best. Using Hershey’s bars instead of Hershey’s kisses is a brilliant move on her part, in my estimation: much better cookie-to-chocolate ratio when you eat them :)

Spritz - another favorite from home, although I can’t link our family recipe. Because it hasn’t ever been posted. I’m not hiding it from anyone, however: instead I have lost the magic art of making these. When I was a kid and helped my mom and sisters, I could do it with my eyes closed. But these days my dough is always too firm, won’t go through my cookie press. I’ve tried them a million times and always give up in frustration. Some year, I’ll get it right. My mom uses almond extract in hers, by the way, which gives them the flavor I love.

Roasted Summer Tomatoes with Pasta

I just had to add this recipe to the blog. It is so perfect for the summer, when your garden produces way more tomatoes than you think you could ever use. It tastes so fresh, and is so healthy (at least our reincarnation of the recipe is healthy). Enough leftovers, too, for lunches the next day. Doesn't get much better :)


Roasted Summer Tomatoes with Pasta
(adapted from Emeril's recipe)

Ingredients:
2.5 to 3 lbs. assorted garden tomatoes (we used: yellow pears, brandywine, and Aunt Ruby's green Germans)
1/4 c. olive oil
3-4 Tbsp. garlic
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. minced fresh oregano
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Additional chopped fresh herbs for garnish

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Slice and dice tomatoes.



Peel and sliver the garlic.



Collect other ingredients.






In a large, glass baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the basil, parsley, and oregano. Stir well.



Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes.
Drain and return to pot. Toss with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomatoes and pan juices and cook over low heat until juices have thickened, 5-10 minutes.



Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Top with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with additional herbs, as desired, and serve immediately.

Weekend Update 7.26.09

Here's what I was up to this week: I baked, a lot. Three loaves of homemade cinnamon raisin bread (not that great, sadly), homemade white bread (good, but not as good as Muzzie's), and 2 new cookie recipes. One for banana oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies, and yes as good as they sound. The other was a repeat but a goodie as well: double-chocolate and sour cherry cookies. I didn't get either photographed, which is a bummer because they were both definitely blog-worthy.


The cookies were supposed to be for book club, but alas - Scott didn't fully fix the little air flow issue, so the car died in the middle of a fairly-busy intersection while I was on my way to book club. Lovely. I didn't read the book anyway, so I guess it wasn't a huge loss. I just drowned my sorrows in cookies.


Peter had his 6-week dr. appointment on Thursday. All is well, weight and height in the 75-80% range. His head circumference is still small, this time in the 25% percentile (better than his 2-week size in the 15% percentile, but still). Poor little pinhead baby. Everything else is just fine, thank you very much. He does have tummy issues and the dr. said to have him sleep sitting up, so it's all swing or car seat or inclined-bassinet for Peter. Fine by me, whatever helps that tummy of his!


Our weekend was pretty low key - just one of those lovely, quiet, relaxing weekends (the last before a busy week). Friday night I tried a new tortilla soup recipe. Oh my gosh, the BEST tortilla soup; recipe is here and you must make it exactly as given (including the tortillas and avocado for toppings; they really make the soup). We chowed down on soup while watching several episodes of Mad Men. One of my new favorite (totally addictive) shows.

Peter and Gabrielle!

On Saturday Audrey and her little cutie Gabrielle came over to meet Mr. Peter. Then later that afternoon Kala also stopped by to visit. It was a day of visitors! That evening, Scott met up with his old buddy Brek at Kaufmann to take in a KC Royals game. Hillman got thrown out and surprise surprise: the Royals won. Good night for a game!


Peter and I camped out in the bedroom that evening, where we watched more Mad Men episodes, planned the baptism menu, and basically just snuggled together in the cozy bed. I may or may not have had half a bag of Oreida french fries for dinner that night. In bed. Using Peter for a plate holder. Er, maybe. In my defense: he's nice and flat when swaddled, and he just snoozed most of the time.

Sunday morning picture time while "sleeping in".

Sunday all of us slept in, then went to the late Mass at church. Now I remember why we haven't attended that Mass in almost 3 years - lots of singing, and hand holding (don't even ask). We won't be making that mistake again for awhile. After church we had a late breakfast of Huevos Rancheros The rest of the day was spent shopping for daycare stuff, then carefully folding, labeling, and packing all the things we needed to take to daycare the next morning. Sniff. A pretty sad little chore for me. I am very, very grateful that we decided to do a trial of daycare before I head back to work, because methinks I'll be keeping him home a few days at least.